If thousands of gamers have their way, Link and Zelda will one day be meeting on the big screen. Following the success of the new Uncharted film, there have been some renewed discussions in the gaming community about which other popular video games would make good movies. FandomSpot.com, a platform for fandoms and online communities, surveyed more than 2,000 gamers to gauge some interest in what’s most desired. Leading the list in first place is Nintendo’s iconic franchise, The Legend of Zelda.
First introduced to gamers on the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1987, The Legend of Zelda remains one of the most popular video game franchises of all time. The series has spanned across nine different consoles to date, with new titles continuing to be developed for the Switch, Nintendo’s modern console. Typically, the games follow a young adventurer, often named Link, to rescue a captive Princess Zelda.
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Participants were asked to list the films they believed would prove to be the “best cinematic experiences, regardless of genre, gameplay style, or characters featured.” It’s not exactly a big surprise to see The Legend of Zelda leading the way, as fans have been calling for a live-action adaptation for years. There was previously an animated series that has a certain charm to it, but many gamers have been dreaming of a more proper adaptation with a big budget that reimagines Link’s adventures in an extraordinary way.
“Gaming has provided us with so many role models over the years and with gaming becoming more and more representative, it’s no wonder people are starting to crave seeing the connections they’ve made via their consoles on the big screen," says FandomSpot.com’s Alyssa Celatti. “Many people have a big connection with their fandoms and the characters within, so it’s no surprise that people want to see channel crossover, whether that’s from games to movies and vice versa, or other media forms like comics and TV spinoffs.”
Making up the rest of the top five, in order, are Grand Theft Auto, Horizon: Zero Dawn, God of War, and Hollow Knight. Another popular title named is Animal Crossing, an idea that Captain Marvel star Brie Larson has personally endorsed. The good news for the fans voting for Super Mario Bros. and Fallout would be that these are already getting new adaptations, though the latter will be as a live-action series in the works at Prime Video.
The Legend of Zelda Movie Might Happen if Super Mario Bros. Does Well
Nintendo
The Super Mario Bros. movie is scheduled for release on Dec. 21, 2022. This time, it will be animated, presumably following the negative reception of the live-action adaptation from the 90s. Its impressive voice cast includes Chris Pratt as Mario, Charlie Day as Luigi, Anya Taylor-Joy as Peach, Jack Black as Bowser, and Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong.
How the Mario movie performs remains to be seen, but Nintendo has been very careful with this adaptation by waiting many years before giving a new film the green light. If it’s successful at the box office and with fans, that could convince Nintendo to move forward with other potential movies based on video games. The Legend of Zelda would certainly be among the first titles discussed at that point, but fans will probably know not to get too excited until an official announcement is made.
